Q: We are starting a new bioprocessing facility where we will be cleaning stainless steel tanks via a Clean-In-Place sprayball system. How do I approximate how much detergent I will need per tank? We are considering Alcojet or Solujet, follow by an acidic rinse with Citrajet. Is this a good plan? Any advice?

A: A good rule of thumb we use is you need about 10% of the overall tank volume as cleaning solution to properly Clean-In-Place (CIP). For example, a 2000 L tank should need around 200 L of wash solution.

For this application, to make a 1-2% Solujet, use 2-4L in 200L of wash water. Although some residues are exceptions, we mostly recommend the hottest practical temperature, 70-80C (160-180F) to facilitate cleaning of typical bioprocessing and organic resiudes It is best practice to have that initial rinse be of equal temperature as well. This is to avoid thermal shock to any micelles that have formed and the risk of redepositing the removed residue.

Citrajet cleaner is an excellent choice for the acid rinse and to remove any remaining inorganic, acid labile residues. The same recommendations for concentration and rinse temperature apply.

Solujet and Citrajet detergents indeed provide a potent CIP combination, and are widely used as such across the globe.

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